Incomplete Silverdale street signs to be replaced

The in basket: Margaret Gibbard e-mailed to say “The signs at
the Bucklin Hill Road/Tracyton Boulevard are misleading. At
that intersection, Tracyton Boulevard is south of Bucklin and Myhre
is north of Bucklin. The signs only name Tracyton Boulevard,
both north and south on Bucklin.”

The out basket: When Margaret first wrote, I figured it was a
small matter of changing one of the small signs on a sign pole. But
when I visited the site, I saw that she was talking about the large
overhead signs installed on the signal cross-arms. And that’s just
the start.

“This intersection should have signs that indicate both roads,”
says Jeff Shea, the county traffic engineer, ” and we are working
to correct that.”

The county sign shop isn’t equipped to make those signs, so the
county contracts with Zumar of Tacoma for them. “The cost of each
sign at that size is $2,741,” he said. “They use
light-emitting capacitor lighting and their average life span is
10-15 years.”

This new generation of street signs actually lights up. You can
see the wire leading into them on the four or five Silverdale
intersections that have them, including this one.

“The light is actually in the sign film itself,” Jeff said.
“LEC illumination increases visibility for motorists as they
do not rely on a vehicle’s headlights or street lighting for
visibility. LEC technology increases the distance from which they
can be seen.”

That can increase safety, I would imagine, as the drivers aren’t
looking away from traffic as long to identify where they want to
turn.

“We do not plan to retrofit all street name signs, but will
consider LEC illumination for any major intersection modification.”
As for the omission at the new Bucklin Hill/Tracyton Boulevard
intersection, “when the signs are replaced, the manufacturer will
remove the film from the old signs, allowing us to use the sign on
a future project,” Jeff said.

Though expensive, LEC signs are just half the cost of the
alternative to have lighted street signs, those that are backlit,
he said.